For to Make Murrey -- a Mulberry Pudding

My mulberry tree is producing great quantities of fruit this year.  I've been sharing with friends and finding different ways to utilize this bounty.

Project Gutenberg's digital version of The Forme of Cury, a collection of recipes from the late 1300s AD England, which can be found here, offers an intriguing, simple dish that I would call a dessert, but could also be served as side dish to a robust main course.

I interpret it as a pudding, that is, a thickened, sweetened dish flavored with fruit juice.  Back then it was called Murrey:

XXXVII. FOR TO MAKE MURREY [1].

Tak mulbery [2] and bray hem in a morter and wryng [3] hem thorth a cloth and do hem in a pot over the fyre and do thereto fat bred and wyte gresse and let it nazt boyle no ofter than onys and do thereto a god party of sugur and zif yt be nozt ynowe colowrd brey mulburus and serve yt forthe.

[1] Morrey. Part II. No. 26. [2] This is to be understood pluraly, quasi mulberries. [2] Read wryng. For see part II. No. 17. 2B. Chaucer, v. wronge and ywrong. [sic]

In other words,

Take mulberries and pound them in a mortar and wring them through a cloth and cook them in a pot and add fat bread [crumbs] and lard and let it not boil more than once and then add a good amount of sugar and if it is not colored enough, pound mulberries [and add them to it] and serve it.

My Redaction

2 cups mulberry juice (see My Notes below)

1 tablespoon shortening or lard  (I used vegetable shortening)

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups bread crumbs (dried, not fresh)

That is about 4 pounds of mulberries!

Put the juice and shortening into a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the fat is melted.  Add the sugar and stir until it is dissolved.  The juice might be steaming at this point.

Add the breadcrumbs.  Stir and cook over medium or lower heat -- as the mixture thickens, the heat may need to be reduced and the mixture stirred more often so it cooks without scorching.

Cook until the mixture is thick enough to pile up on itself when a spoonful is scooped up and dropped onto the rest.

Serve warm or chilled.

My Notes

The fresh mulberries went into a blender, which is a modern version of braying them in a mortar.  😀

Then I put the resulting puree into a cloth bag, closed the top with my hand, and used the other hand to start squeezing the juice out into a measuring cup.  The bag kept the seeds, stems, and some of the pulp out of the juice.  The juice was not clear and that did not matter to me.

I changed the order of mixing because I knew the bread crumbs would thicken the mixture, and I wanted the fat melted and the sugar dissolved before that happened.  Part of redacting is finding my way through the recipe to determine quantities.  I wanted to know that I added enough (but not too much) fat to achieve a good mouthfeel.  The same for sugar -- was it sweet enough but not too sweet?  I taste along the way, and I felt that the breadcrumbs would shift that test enough to make it hard to tell.

Early heating -- juice and melting shortening

So feel free to follow the order given in 1390 with my measurements.  

Also consider using butter instead of vegetable shortening or lard.  Be aware that your butter is probably salted, which will change the flavor -- it might even make it taste sweeter.

My bread crumbs were made from a few days old, slightly stale French bread loaf, so probably not a "fat bread".  If your crumbs are fresh, you made need a larger quantity to achieve a good thickness.  If they are very dry, you might need less.

The mixture with the bread crumbs did boil but only ever-so-slightly, more like a few "blurps" in the thickened version.

I felt the color was right, so I did not add any more berries or juice.

Starting to get thick

The Verdict

Still warm and very thick

We tried it still very warm from the pan, then cool, and then thoroughly chilled.

We felt it was thick enough even while warm to be just right.  It had a good mouthfeel: enough to taste rich (but not overwhelming) and substantial.  There were chewy bits from the larger chunks of bread crumbs, which we liked.

My guest taster, not knowing all that went into it, could taste the mulberries, thought there was lemon juice in it, that the sweet-tart balance was just right, and enjoyed it very much.  He liked it even more when it was cooler, and his favorite was when it was thoroughly chilled.

I agreed with his flavor assessment.  I liked it best warm or cool.  I liked it chilled but I felt the fat amount was too much; if I planned on serving it chilled, I would reduce the fat to probably 1 teaspoon.  I did not like the feel of grease on my lips while eating it chilled.

I wondered if it would be better with less sugar, and he felt that it would be too tart that way.  My mulberries were a mix of very ripe, ripe, and somewhat under ripe fruit, so the amount of sugar may vary depending on the overall sweetness of the juice.  

We both felt that the murrey did not need any spices.  The fruit flavor was dominant and didn't need enhancement from spices.  We wanted to taste the mulberries!

Success!

It would make a good side condiment to roast meat, especially when warm or cool.  But also as a dessert.  If a dessert, I think I would add some fresh berries on top when I served it.

Would 1/2 cup sugar to 2 cups juice have been considered a goodly amount in 1390?  I don't know, but the goal is always to produce a dish that is tasty, and I think I accomplished that.

I think the technique would translate well to using store-bought pomegranate or cranberry juice.  The sugar amount would have to be adjusted, so start off with less and add while tasting to get to just barely sweet.  The idea is to let the fruit flavor shine through.

Another variation idea is to mix some fresh pieces of mulberry into the finished pudding.  Or garnish the top with pieces or a whole berry or two, depending on the size.

Guisado de patatas -- Potato Stew, a Pinedo recipe

It's time for another Pinedo recipe!  Today's choice is on page 114, in the Guisados or Stews section.  

My Translation

Potato stew.

         Raw potatoes are peeled, diced, fried in fat, and set aside. Onion, tomato, chopped parsley are fried, and boiling water, salt, pepper, and oregano are added. In this sauce put the fried potatoes with two or three tablespoons of grated cheese, letting them boil over a moderate heat.

My Redaction

3 pounds potatoes

5 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion

a little olive oil

1 1/4 pounds tomatoes

4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon pepper

2 cups boiling water

3 tablespoons grated cheese, more for garnish

And butter, olive oil, and boiling water

Heat a little butter in a frying pan while peeling and cubing the first potato.  Fry those pieces over medium heat, adding a little more butter as needed to keep them from sticking to the pan.  Stir occasionally, but let the pieces sit on the pan so they develop a golden crust.  The goal is to brown them.

Once they are browned, remove them to a bowl.  Repeat for each of the potatoes.

When the last batch of potato pieces are cooking, heat a little olive oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan.  Peel and chop the onion, then cook it over medium low heat until translucent.

Core and dice the tomatoes and finely chop the fresh parsley.  Add to the onions and continue to cook them until most of the liquid has boiled off.

Add the oregano, salt, pepper, and boiling water.  Mix well and simmer until the tomatoes are falling apart.

Add the potatoes and stir well.  Add the grated cheese.  Let simmer over low heat until the raw tomato flavor is gone and the stew tastes balanced.  Adjust the salt and pepper amounts as needed.  

Serve with a little grated cheese on top as garnish.

My Notes

I chose to use butter for frying the potatoes and olive oil for the sauce.  You can choose whatever you'd like!  I kept the amount of fat in the pan to a minimum so that I could get a good golden crust on the pieces.

I did not peel the tomatoes, but you might want to if you don't like pieces of skin in your stew.

I used grated asiago cheese, but I think cheddar, parmesan, or romano would also work well.

The sauce was thin until the potatoes were added, then it thickened to a good consistency.

The first batch, nearly done

Onions, tomatoes, and parsley, oh my!

All together now.  Let the simmer begin.

The Verdict

I served it with a little asiago as a garnish.  My guest taster would have been unhappy with a meal that didn't have meat, so I included a grilled boneless chicken thigh as a side dish.

Yum!

I really enjoyed the potato flavor in the stew.  It was like eating French fries in a sauce, which I liked.  The sauce was very mild; it was a background flavor to the potatoes.  I could taste the complexity of the tomatoes, onions, herbs, and spices, as could my guest taster.  However, we both described it as mild, not earth-shattering.  But it was still tasty!

We both added a little more salt and agreed that it would be best to let each person salt it to their taste at the table than to add more salt to the stew.  I think a little more pepper would be a good idea -- perhaps bump it up to 1 teaspoon to give it a little blast.

I'm not sure I would add the grated cheese to the stew again.  It didn't seem to contribute much to the flavor.  But adding some on top was nice.

Success!

It was not a spectacular meal, but they don't all have to be.  It was tasty, filling, and interesting with potatoes as a main base.  I see this stew as either a main dish or a side to some roast meat.

Carnel of Pork

I was perusing Project Gutenberg's copy of The Forme of Cury, a collection of recipes compiled around 1390AD "by the Master Cooks of King Richard II", which you can access here.

My goal was to find recipe(s) that I could successfully do at an historical cooking demonstration location.  I finally was able to get back to doing some demonstrations this year!  The site had a lovely outdoor kitchen with tables for preparation, many platters/bowls/cooking pots, a big fire pit, and a wood-fired oven.  I decided I wasn't ready to try baking as I needed to get back into the techniques needed to prep and cook over fire in front of the public.  The venue was set in Elizabethan England, so recipes prior to 1600 would work just fine.

One that caught my attention was

CARNEL [1] OF PORK. XXXII.

Take the brawnn of Swyne. parboile it and grynde it smale and alay it up with zolkes of ayren. set it ouere [2] the fyre with white Grece and lat it not seeþ to fast. do þerinne Safroun an powdour fort and messe it forth. and cast þerinne powdour douce, and serue it forth.

[1] Carnel, perhaps Charnel, from Fr. Chaire. [2] ouere. Over. So again, No. 33.

In other words, 

Take pork, parboil it, grind it small, and thicken it with egg yolks.  Cook it with lard and cook it slowly.  Add saffron and powder forte, and put it on a platter to serve.  Sprinkle with powder douce, and serve.

 My Redaction

1 pound pork tenderloin (boneless)

3 egg yolks, well beaten

1 tablespoon vegetable shortening or lard

1 teaspoon powder fines (see note below)

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon saffron

1/4 teaspoon salt

a sprinkling of powder douce (see note below)

Notes:  My powder fines is a spice mix containing cinnamon, cloves, ginger, grains of paradise, pepper, and saffron.  Powder forte is supposed to be a strong (forte) flavored mix, which is why I took the fines and added more pepper to it, along with salt to more suit modern palates.  

My powder douce is a spice mix containing cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, and star anise.  Powder douce is supposed to be a sweet (douce) mixture; what I used was a Baker's Spice Mix -- good for sweet breads.  It was mild enough to be a garnish.

The powder douce did not make it into the picture.

Grind the spices and salt together.  Set aside.

Cut the pork into chunks -- I did four 1/4-pound pieces.  Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, then put in one chunk.  This will drop the temperature to below a boil.  Set the timer for 5 minutes and watch the water.  You want at most a slow simmer for a parboil, so adjust the heat as needed.  When the time is up, remove the meat and place in a bowl to drain.  Keep parboiling the pieces like this.  The goal is to lightly cook them without making the meat tough; they don't even have to be cooked all the way through.  Just not completely raw.  

If a piece looks only slightly cooked, put it back into the hot water for a few more minutes.

Before parboiling

Parboiled:  the two pieces on the left went back in for 3 minutes each

Let the meat cool until you can easily handle it.  Cut it into small pieces or grind it (I cut it).  Mix well with the egg yolks.

Melt the fat over medium heat in a saucepan.  Add the meat and stir well.  Cook slowly over a low to medium heat (2 to 4 out of 10), stirring occasionally to mix the meat, yolks, and fat together.

Cook until the meat is no longer pink, 15 to 20 minutes.  Remove from the heat.

Mix in the spices thoroughly while the meat is still hot.

Put the mixture into a bowl or other container that functions as a mold for the final product.  Compress the mixture using a flat-bottomed cup or similar object.

Put a plate over the bowl and quickly turn the bowl and plate over to unmold the meat.

Sprinkle with powder douce lightly as a garnish.

Serve and enjoy!

My Notes

I first made this for a public demonstration.  I parboiled the meat at home in advance, then completed the preparation in front of the public.  I chose to cut instead of grinding because I didn't want to pound all the meat in a mortar.  For the demonstration I used 2 pounds of pork, 5 egg yolks, and double the amount of spices listed above.  It turned out well and I wanted to make it for this blog.

The meat is much easier to cut up into small pieces after parboiling.  Well worth the time.

I pounded and rubbed the spices together in the mortar until they looked reasonably blended.  The saffron threads did not all break up, which was fine with me.

It took some time to cut the meat up in small pieces, about 1/4 inch cubes.  Smaller pieces would work, too, or grinding/pounding them to more of a paste.  Notice the pink in the pieces below, but none of them looked completely raw.

Meat and yolks before mixing.

The idea of the yolks is to coat the meat pieces before cooking.

Ready to cook!

The slow cooking and regular stirring keeps the yolks from turning into hard-boiled egg consistency.  It acts like a sauce.

No pink.  It is done.

With the spices mixed in.

Packed into the mold.

You can see flecks of color where the spices are.  The saffron displays as orange threads.  They smelled good while I was mixing them in.

Unmolded and garnished.  Ready to serve.

The Verdict

I served it as the main course along with sliced tomatoes garnished with minced shallots, green onions, and parsley dressed with a mixture of olive oil (lemon infused), balsamic vinegar (lime infused), and a little salt.  Also toasted sourdough bread.

My guest taster and I spooned some of the carnel onto our plates.  We ate it like that or spooned onto a piece of toast.  At the public demonstration, the carnel was part of a larger potluck and was placed on the main dish table, and served as it was presented.

We both loved it.  Meaty, creamy, and the spices were zesty!  My tongue got little blasts of spice while I was eating it, not quite like having chiles but close.  If the spice level was lower, I think the carnel would have been bland and uninteresting.  

I felt the same way about it at the public demonstration -- I almost underspiced it then; I'm so glad I didn't.

The meat was very tender, which we both appreciated.  

Success!  

This is so easy to do, and I think it would be a good dish for a potluck.  

Grinding it would make it more of a paté, so it could be spread on toast or crackers.

Albóndigas delicadas -- Delicate meatballs, a Pinedo recipe

Today my attention was attracted to this Pinedo recipe on page 5.  The idea of a "delicate" meatball appealed to me, and I wondered if I could achieve that delicate goal.  I wasn't sure it meant that the flavor or the texture was delicate, or both, but I wanted to try it.

My Translation

Delicate meatballs.

         Raw poultry breasts are cut into small pieces; bring them to a boil and then grind or mince until they are reduced to a paste.

         Take a good amount of white breadcrumbs that will be boiled in broth, set aside and let cool, put in the mortar and grind with the poultry breasts, adding pepper, salt, nutmeg, a piece of butter the size of an egg, parsley and green onions very finely chopped, two shallots and some cooked egg yolks.

         All this is stirred well, and with it they are formed into meatballs by hand, immediately tossing them into the broth to cook them.

My Redaction

1 3/4 lbs raw chicken breast, boneless and skinless

1 cup breadcrumbs made from a French bread loaf that was a few days dried (not rock hard)

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

3 tablespoons butter

1/8 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped

1/4 cup green onion (white and green parts), finely chopped

1/4 cup shallot, finely chopped

4 cooked egg yolks, mashed

Heat 3 - 4 inches of water in a large kettle or Dutch oven to boiling.

Cut the chicken meat into chunks that will conveniently fit into the feed tube of a meat grinder.

When the water is boiling, put the chicken meat into the water.  Stir occasionally.  When the water returns to a boil, remove the meat, draining it as it is removed.  Keep the resulting broth in the kettle and maintain the heat beneath it.

Add 3/4 cup of the broth into the bread crumbs, and stir until all the crumbs are moistened.  Set aside.

Put the meat through a meat grinder using the fine plate.

Add the moistened bread crumbs to the ground meat and mix well.  

Add the pepper, salt, nutmeg, butter, parsley, green onion, shallot, and egg yolks.  Stir until everything is well-mixed.  The mixture should form a cohesive ball, like a soft dough.  Not soggy but not dry, and it should stick to itself.

Bring the broth back up to a boil.  Reduce heat to create a strong simmer.  Form balls with a 1- to 1 1/2-inch diameter.  

Drop the balls in batches of 5 to 10 into the broth.  When the balls float, remove and drain them; place in the serving dish.

My Notes

The method of putting the chicken chunks into hot water resulted in a broth and also the chicken was cooked all the way through.  I saw no pink meat at all.

Before

After

I tried to envision boiling the breadcrumbs in the broth and then taking them out, and it just seemed that I would lose more into the broth even if I used a fine sieve to get them out.  So I chose to just add the hot broth the crumbs and skip the mess.

Moistened, not soggy

Miss Pinedo might have had access to a food grinder, but her instructions seemed to indicate the cook would be using a mortar and pestle, or perhaps a mano and metate.  I took advantage of my modern technology to grind the meat to a paste.  The fine plate did a good job.  

Finely ground chicken breast

I chose to mix the crumbs and meat with my hand; this was because the meat was so finely ground already.  It didn't need more grinding with the bread.  I both scooped and squished the two ingredients together until it felt like they were uniformly blended.  I think you should be willing to add a little broth if the mixture does not behave well.

Bread and meat

My main concern was following the instructions for specific amounts of butter and shallots without having an idea of how much breast meat Pinedo thought should be used.  Once I chose the two large pieces of meat, I decided to use less of each with the hope of making the mixture balanced in flavor.

Very finely chopped!

Once all the ingredients were put with the meat mixture, I mixed it all by hand, again working it until everything seemed uniformly mixed.  I tasted it and I liked the balance of salt, pepper, onions, parsley, and shallots.  

Notice the moisture level.

The mixture was moist enough to stick together when I pushed it with my hand.  When I formed the balls, I made sure I pushed the mixture together to get rid of cracks or holes.

Ready for cooking

I cooked two meatballs alone first to make sure they would stay as balls when in the hot water.  They did, and it only took a minute or two for them to rise to the surface.  After that, I put in more balls to cook at once.  As one batch cooked, I made another batch.  The broth was hot-to-simmering, but not actively boiling because I was afraid that would break up the meatballs.

Floaties!

The Verdict

I served the meatballs in a dish with no sauce or anything else on them.  I included a side dish of rotini pasta coated with a ramps pesto and mixed with the chopped egg whites left over from the yolks used in the meatball mixture.  Thank you to @blackforager on Instagram for the ramps pesto inspiration!

I think they swelled some upon cooking.

So, were the meatballs delicate?  

Yes, they were very soft, but not so soft that they fell apart.  I guess the better word was tender.  The meat and other ingredients stuck to themselves well until the fork pushed against them, then the balls broke up easily.  The meatballs were very tender to bite.  They had a fine texture and were very moist inside.

Yes, in flavor, they were also delicate.  By that I mean the flavor was not robust, but we could taste the pepper and the onions/parsley/shallot flavorings.  The salt level was right.  I could not discern the nutmeg; it wouldn't hurt to add more.  Or, now that I think about it, sprinkle some nutmeg over the tops of the balls just before serving!  That would be a nice garnish.

My guest taster and I both felt the flavors were balanced, with just enough pepper to make it interesting and to add a little bitter to the onions and shallot, which were cooked enough to remove any bite but still leave a good flavor.

Success!  They didn't need any sauce and they stood up for themselves as a main dish.  They paired nicely with the pasta side dish.  Together they formed a very tasty meal.

I think using chicken breast helped to make it delicate in flavor.  I typically do not use breast meat because thigh meat is moister and has more flavor.  But this was, I think, the right choice.

Cowboy Cookin': Bean Pie

At age 13, Verne Carlson ran away from his home in Connecticut to Utah where he became an assistant to a cowboy range cook.  Later, he spent eight years researching the cowboy life, gathering information and memorabilia, and then wrote a book in 1999 called The Cowboy Cookbook.  Click here to find it on archive.org.

ISBN 0-937844-00-4

It is quite a fun read.  He describes the history and development of the cattle trails, then outlines the design of a chuckwagon.  As someone who has cooked over fire and coals during historical cooking demonstrations, I appreciate the details on the equipment and how to best utilize the fire pit to "build" a meal for many hungry cowboys and have it all come out right.

The measurements chapter is hilarious because it contains the cook's lingo for a teaspoon ("gob"), a tablespoon ("lump"), and 2 rounded cupfuls ("a whole heap") versus one rounded cupful ("a heap"), among other things.  Carlson explains that he was able to get experienced camp cooks to reproduce their recipes but frustrated them by insisting that he get their measurements as they were doing it.  Their response was "Hell-far! A hand 'ud up and starve t'death waitin' for you to get it built!".  But at least we know the recipes are authentic.

The recipes are, as promised, inexpensive and easy to prepare, as was required when cooking on the cattle trail.  Vegetables are few and either boiled or put into stews as salad was considered "rabbit food".  Meat, beans, rice, corn, potatoes, and bread were the main ingredients, and a good cook knew how to do a lot with them.  Not just beefsteaks and stew meat, but all parts of a cow were utilized because the cowboys would slaughter as they needed food while they traveled.  There are recipes that use tripe, liver, and kidneys.

Often the beef fat was used, too, as well as lard and butter, in main dishes and desserts.  Sometimes beef fat was mixed with molasses to make a topping used like butter, called "Charlie Taylor."  Sourdough was a common ingredient, but the cook would use baking soda, too, for variety of bread types.  

I tried the Bean Pie recipe on page 112.

My Notes

Carlson gives many recipes for cooked beans, so I started with canned baked beans.  By the way, the cowboys called canned goods "airtights."

I poured off the liquid that was on top of the beans, but I did not attempt to drain them further.  

The beans (a little more than one can's worth; true to the range cook's credo, I didn't really measure but estimated) went into a bowl, then I used a potato masher to get them to a paste.  As you can see below, I didn't get them smooth, but they were definitely smoother.

They spread easily into the pan, then I gently poured the vinegar over the top, forming a pool.  I measured the brown sugar into a bowl then used my fingers to sprinkle it around the top of the beans.  The bacon made a pretty pattern, too.

Beans in the pan.  The amount of space above them is important.

Vinegar as a pool on top.

Brown sugar sprinkled all over.

Ready for the oven!

I baked it for 20 minutes at 450 degrees F.  I noticed there was a lot of bubbling and the volume increased enough that it almost overflowed the pan.  The amount of beans was just right to avoid the overflow.  Don't be tempted to fill the pie pan more.

Hot out of the oven.

The Verdict

I served the bean pie with buttered sourdough bread and rabbit food.  I let it cool for about five minutes in hope the beans would firm up -- they looked very liquid right out of the oven, not at all what I expected for a pie.  They stayed liquidy, so I took scissors and cut the bacon into spoonable chunks before serving.  

Yummy rabbit food, too!

The flavor was, not surprisingly, of baked beans, but the vinegar and brown sugar added a lovely sweet-and-sour support - sometimes the vinegar made my mouth water - and the bacon was meaty and chewy.  We loved it.  My guest taster had several servings, and enjoyed spreading it on his bread.  Success, despite it not being a slice of pie.

I wonder if I should have drained more of the liquid off the beans before mashing them. The recipe says the paste should be poured into the pan, so I was unclear as to how much liquid they should have.  If I did this again, I would spend more time draining the beans through a sieve.

I imagine this technique as adaptable for say, mashed pumpkin or sweet potatoes in place of the beans.  Adding vinegar, brown sugar, and bacon would be gilding the lily.  Well worth the try.

Liebre enchilada -- Hare enchilada, a Pinedo recipe

The Pinedo recipe I chose for this post is on page 148, "Liebre enchilada", or "Hare enchilada."  When I think about Mexican food, the word "enchilada" conjures up visions of rolled tortillas filled with shredded meat or cheese or vegetables, drenched in a red or green chile sauce, and sprinkled liberally with shredded cheese after being baked in the oven. 

While she does have recipes that meet my vision, the only part of that description this recipe matches is the chile sauce.  It is really a stew, so the word "enchilada" means "to season with chiles."

My Translation

Hare enchilada.

                   Cut the hare into small pieces. Put to fry in fresh and hot butter with pieces of lardon.

         The hare will be fried over a live fire, and when it begins to brown, add enough chopped onion, garlic, and salt.

         Everything will fry well, stirring the casserole without stopping, immediately adding tomatoes, olives, chopped mushrooms, one or two tablespoons of dry flour and oregano powder.

         Cover the hare well with a chile sauce, letting it cook, covered, in the casserole over a moderate heat.

My Redaction

3 1/4 pound rabbit

2 - 3 tablespoons butter

1 - 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening (or equivalent in lardo or bacon)

1 large onion, chopped

2 heaping teaspoons crushed garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves, ground in a mortar until powdered

6 ounces sliced crimini mushrooms

4 Roma tomatoes, chopped

20 black olives, halved longwise

2 tablespoons flour

28 ounce can red enchilada sauce

Have the oregano ground, the mushrooms cleaned and sliced, the tomatoes and onion chopped, and the olives sliced before starting the cooking process.

Rinse and pat dry the rabbit, then cut into serving-size pieces (they will still have bones).

Heat the butter and shortening (or lardo or bacon) in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until melted and hot.

Add the pieces of rabbit.  Turn them as they sizzle to brown them on all sides.  It took about 15 minutes.

Add onion, garlic, and salt, stirring them in well.  Stir often (but I did stop at times) until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, olives, mushrooms, flour, and oregano.  Stir well and let cook a minute or two.

Add the enchilada sauce.  Stir well.  

Reduce heat to medium low, making the sauce simmer.  Cover the Dutch oven.

Cook until the meat is tender and cooked through, about half an hour.

My Notes

I understand that Ms. Pinedo, by specifying hare, was probably envisioning meat with a more wild taste than the farmed rabbit I used here.  Even if she substituted in rabbit, it was probably also wild, which I would expect to have more flavor than a farmed rabbit.  But we have to work with what we can get, and I could get a rabbit.

It is important to have all the ingredients prepared before starting the cooking process because the timing is short between steps.  

I used canned enchilada sauce, which is made from red chiles, water, vinegar, and salt.  I have made red chile sauce from dried chiles, but on pages 248-9, Miss Pinedo gives us a recipe for a "Red chile picante sauce", which is made by soaking and pureeing dried chiles, then flavoring them with green onions, oregano, olives, salt, vinegar, and olive oil.  She then states that for enchilada sauce, we should not use the olive oil and vinegar.  I decided not to worry about the vinegar.

The steps:

In the midst of browning the meat.

With garlic, onions, and salt.

With everything but the sauce.

Everything!

The Verdict

I served a simple dinner of the stew and warmed corn tortillas on the side.  I made sure every bowlful had at least one meaty piece of rabbit in it.  I also put a bowl on the table to take the bones once the meat was cut or bitten off them.

We enjoyed it very much!  The flavor was spicy from the chile sauce (I used a medium heat sauce, which I think was very brave of me - ha!).  The oregano was a light side flavor, enough to make it interesting and not too strong.  The salt level was just right.

We loved the chunks of onion, olives, and tomato.  Sometimes a spoonful (or forkful) did not include meat, so having those chunks of flavor kept the sauce from just being a sauce.  

The only challenge was getting the meat off the bones.  We each had a fork, knife, and spoon; the strategy was to use the fork and knife to cut the meat off the bone, and then use the fork or spoon to eat the meat with sauce and maybe chunks.  We both worried about splashing sauce on our clothing.  At one point, I held the meat with my fingers and nibbled the meat off the bones.  In other words, our cloth napkins were well-used by the end of the meal!

Sometimes I put a spoonful of meat/sauce/chunks onto a corn tortilla.  I then folded the tortilla over the stew and ate it that way.  That was good, too.  I also enjoyed dunking pieces of tortilla into the sauce.

Success!  If I were to do this again, I would debone the meat.  The rabbit was super expensive, so I would probably use chunks of pork or deboned chicken thighs instead.  

The leftovers were, I think, even better the next day.  The flavors seemed more blended.  I was out of corn tortillas, so I served it with sourdough bread.  The sour of the bread was a good compliment to the spicy of the sauce.  

For all Pinedo recipes, see my blog "The Spanish Cook Without Equal" at pinedo1898.blogspot.com